The Duke Blue Devils have won 16 of their last 17 games following a loss, as they prepare to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. Let our free NCAA basketball picks help you decide who will cover the spread tonight.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting line for this
Atlantic Coast Conference affair that tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Bouncing back
Duke dropped an 83-81 road decision to the Maryland
Terrapins as four-point favorites last Saturday, while going OVER the posted
total of 141. The Blue Devils are 1-5
against the spread (ATS) as road favorites during the 2012-13 NCAA basketball
season, with the OVER going 3-2-1 in that situation.
It’s important to note that this program has lost
back-to-back games just once since the 2009-10 campaign—posting a 16-1 mark
following a setback during that span.
Long losing streak
Virginia Tech has lost eight games in a row, including a
90-86 overtime defeat to the NC State Wolfpack as 14-point road underdogs last
time out, while going OVER the betting total for a second consecutive contest.
The Hokies have been out-rebounded by a 4.6 boards per
game during that stretch, but they may have better success in that category
Thursday night, considering the Blue Devils have lost the battle on the glass
all year (32.1 to 32.9).
Betting trends favor the visitor
College basketball handicappers will find that the Blue
Devils are 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS as road favorites of 12.5 or more points in their
last six opportunities, while the visiting team has enjoyed a 8-3-1 ATS run in
this series.
The Hokies covered two of three meetings in this series a
year ago, but they’ve failed to cash a ticket in four of their last five home
games versus the Blue Devils. Could we be in a nice spot to catch the NCAA basketball odds makers giving the Devils too many points?
Wearing down?
Duke’s starting unit averages 68.0 points per game, which
accounts for 87 percent of the team’s scoring—the most for in major college
basketball program in the nation. The
Blue Devils may be showing signs of wearing down in February, as it has dropped
its last three games versus the number.
Prediction
I’m going to recommend that readers back the Hokies as
one of their NCAA basketball picks Thursday night, as senior guard Erick Green
leads the nation in averaging 25.3 points per game, which should provide enough
offensive punch to stay within this number.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Virginia Tech Hokies +13.5 at Pinnacle